Patriots Blog: Winners And Losers From Joint Practices With Redskins
BOSTON (CBS) -- So as the Pats wrap up these joint practices with the Redskins, who are the winners and losers for these three days?
Winners
Both squads' first teams
If you don't do joint practices, you can't get your first team offense and defense as many plays in game-like situations as the Pats and Redskins did this week. It will never happen in a preseason game. They got to work on 20 plays in the red area per day, 20 goal line plays per day -- all of it in an controlled environment. The competition is high and the physicallity is way up. It's a solid advantage that teams get when they do these joint practices.
The Pats' first team offense
They put on a show in these practices. Tom Brady and the boys were quick in and out of the huddle and they were precise on their routes. Fans of the Redskins were so impressed at times that they applauded when the Pats scored on the 11-on-11 drills. Good practice for the Patriots and their offense and a great showing all around.
The fans
These were the overall big winners in this. Roughly 21,000 fans showed up per practice and they were able to watch good football and get autographs from some of the players. This was better than a regular practice. There was cheering, action and a great environment to watch football.
Losers
Jimmy Garoppolo
He wasn't great. He struggled and it was quite evident that he was getting frustrated. The Pats rookie QB is taking steps but they are small. The game is still very fast for him. This is just going to take more time than many people thought.
Rob Gronkowski
I'm not sure how I feel about Gronk not making the trip, but this has to be something that's in the loss column. Gronk is a major part of this team and playing without him causes the team to change everything. Eventually, he's going to get on the field and get it going. The Pats likely just wish it was sooner than later.
The Redskins
At least for this week, the team did not look great. Robert Griffin III was slow in his reads and overall, they looked a little bit out of shape compared to the Pats. Washington had a tough time with the Pats' quick offense and they complained about the Patriots' physical defense. That's not something you want to take public in joint practices, but they did. Hopefully, for their fan base, this team can change their tune.
Follow Levan Reid on Twitter @LevanReid.
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